Phil Spector by Sean MacLeod

Author:Sean MacLeod
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: undefined
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
Published: 2012-04-06T04:00:00+00:00

In Defense of Phil Spector

Although many found Spector to be domineering, others saw a different side to him. Gloria Jones, of the Blossoms, sensed a vulnerable side to him, and though ultimately she felt he was “a little punk” (in fact, according to Darlene Love, she felt he was “sneaky” and a “creep” [Love, 84]), she still respected his talent (M. Brown, 120–21). Fanita James, also of the Blossoms, felt Spector tried to create a happy atmosphere at work, tried to make it a family environment, but possibly Spector, sensing little threat from Fanita, as she wasn’t as keen to be in the spotlight, could be more civil to her.

Though Spector treated many of his singers without any conscience, he was not unique in that regard. Motown’s treatment of Florence Ballard is a particular case in point, and though there is some truth to Berry Gordy’s feeling that he took all the risks and invested all the money, it cannot be helped but thought that these young women were simply commodities in the pop music industry, and very disposable ones at that. The conduct of other managers and mentors was also poor. For example, Leiber and Stoller sold their Red Bird label “for a dollar” and left their acts, mainly young girls, in the lurch (Marcus, 251). Shadow Morton’s sudden lack of interest toward his own charges, the Shangri-Las, more or less ended their career. And Florence Greenberg and her final treatment of the Shirelles (Keenan, 42) is another example that reinforces the idea that young girls were, in general, exploited within and by the industry.

It wasn’t, incidentally, only girls; boys too were often the subject of managerial or record company exploitation. Groups such as the Beatles, by EMI; the Rolling Stones, by Allen Klein; and the Small Faces, by Immediate Records were all, at some stage in their careers, subject to financial mismanagement, robbed of artistic control, or simply overburdened by work commitments or tied into unfair legal contracts that obliged them to do things they were not comfortable with. Spector’s male musicians too felt he pushed them beyond their limits, some even refusing to work with him because of it, and Spector, almost as notorious for his eccentric behavior as for his record making, would reportedly hold his male collaborators at gunpoint in order to intimidate them, making certain they knew precisely who was in control. Spector, legend has it, even pulled a gun on John Lennon, whom he supposedly revered (Biography Channel).

While Spector could certainly be manipulative and controlling in and out of the studio, many cite his treatment of Darlene Love as a major example for this manipulative side of his personality. Without doubt Spector was not interested in making Darlene Love a star, particularly if it meant it would obscure his own name; however, in Spector’s defense, he certainly did not simply “use” Love for her vocal talents on “He’s a Rebel,” as she, like all other musicians on the session, was hired for the record.

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